Fun Fact: I do in fact ship Tooru and Shoji! I don't know, man, I just see a lot of potential in that kind of relationship, which is probably why I also ship Izuku and Mina together. Yep, just ships all around! I hope other people out there start thinking about this pairing more, and maybe this small, nonexistent community can grow a bit! (Sorry, Ojiro. You just aren't the one, buddy.)
Enjoy this quick one shot, everybody!
...
Knock-Knock.
"Um...Shoji?" Tooru hesitantly called out, placing her ear against the door. There was no reply, and the invisible girl sighed and knocked one more time. "Shoji...I'm really sorry about what happened, can...can you please let me in?"
She was well aware of her friends peaking their heads out of the corner, trying not to be too obvious about it, and Tooru sighed in annoyance. She turned towards the group gathering at the end of the hallway, and although they could not see her face, they could tell she was glaring daggers at them. Dejectedly, they slinked away back to where they came from. Tooru sighed and shook her head, knocking on the door a third time.
"No one is here except me, Shoji..." she promised. "You can talk to me, I'm here for you."
She could hear the faintest of shifting coming from the other side of the door and Tooru figured that was his way of giving her permission to go on. "I suppose...I suppose it's sort of my fault, isn't it?" she muttered, resting her head against the solid wood. She could feel the beginning of tears form around her eyes, and she quickly squeezed them shut. "A-And I understand if you're mad at me...I'd be mad at myself too...and I am." She sniffed. "S-So if you...If you don't wanna speak to me that's fine! B-But...I just don't like seeing you so upset...You're usually so calm and collected, more so than any of us! A-And seeing you storm off like that, I...I..."
Dang it, now she was crying. 'D-Don't cry, Tooru...' she scolded herself. 'You have to remain strong, or else...'
"...you can come in..." she heard the boy rasp from the other side of the door. It was quiet, almost a whisper, but it was enough for Tooru to stop.
"Are you sure?" she asked, just to be certain.
"...yeah..."
'Oh, Shoji...' Tooru sighed, before taking a deep breath and clutching the doorknob. Slowly, she turned the doorknob and gently pushed the door open, stepping inside after a moment of hesitation.
It had been an ordinary day in the U.A. dorms. Well, almost. The temperature was unbelievably hot, you couldn't stay in the dorms since the higher the floor was the more stuffy it ended up. But being around so many people in the commons area may as well have been just as bad.
Tooru was leaning against a wall, having strategically placed a fan right next to her, but it still didn't feel like enough. The only thing worse than being hot was being BORED and hot! The day passed by at a snail's pace, every time Tooru glanced up at the clock, it seemed like it hadn't even budged.
Maybe she could strip down in the buff? She glanced around her immediate area. No one was paying attention, she totally could.
But she decided against it, knowing that while she may have been fine as long as no one watched her, her classmates seemed pretty embarrassed whenever she walked around shirtless.
"Hello, Hagakure."
Except for Mezo Shoji, Tooru noted as she glanced up to see U.A.'s resident giant of a man. She remembered their final exam against the pro hero Snipe, not once did he seem uncomfortable being around her. Maybe it was because of that damn mask he always wore, but Tooru appreciated it nevertheless. Nothing ever seemed to phase her mysterious classmate, even as she looked at him right now he seemed stoically indifferent of the heat.
"Hey, Shoji," she greeted, trying her best to sound chirpy, but found it was too hard with the damn heat. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand. "It's super hot out, isn't it?"
Shoji nodded, then glanced at the fan the invisible girl had plugged in. "You seem to be doing just fine, though."
"Oh, that..." Tooru sighed and shrugged. "It's okay, I guess. Works well enough." She briefly noted that the boy's jaw hadn't moved when he spoke, and realized that a lower tentacle had formed a mouth. It was always an odd sight, one that Tooru still had never grown fully used to. She knew Shoji must have a mouth underneath his mask, why would he always resort to talking with one of his tentacles? From what she understood, the eyes and ears he formed could see and hear much better than ordinary parts, and that was fine. That was understandable.
But the mouth?
That creeped her out.
"I was just on my way to get a glass of water," Shoji explained, nodding his head towards the kitchen. "I can get you one too if you want."
"Really?!" Tooru perked up and clapped her hands together. "That'd be awesome! Thank you, Shoji!"
The mouth at the end of his tentacle twitched into a smirk, before Shoji walked away, waving behind him.
That was probably the best part about Shoji, Tooru decided. Despite his intimidating appearance, he truly did care for others. Not as openly as someone like Mina or Izuku, but the large student always tried his best to keep his friends happy. He was a gentle giant in pretty much every way. Quiet, calm, helpful, kind and caring. Those were the words everyone would use to describe Shoji.
It took the invisible girl a moment to realize she was blushing. She groaned and slapped her cheeks when suddenly she heard someone call her name.
She glanced up. "Yeah?"
Kaminari grinned and waved her over. "We're starting a game of truth or dare over here," he announced, a glint in his eye. "Wanna join? Could be fun!"
"Hmm...Okay!" Tooru agreed, rising from her lax position. She stretched and walked over towards the couches. "So who's playing?"
Kaminari plopped down onto one of the couches next to Jiro, while Kirishima and Mina took up the couch across from them. Finally, Sero had propped a chair between the two, sitting on it backwards with his arms resting against the back. Tooru greeted her friends and sat down on the floor next to Mina's feet. "So, any special rules we're using?" she asked, noticing the empty soda bottle laying on the coffee table.
"Okay, SO!" Mina exclaimed, gathering everyone's attention. "Someone spins the bottle, and whoever it lands on is asked Truth or Dare. Once that's all said and done with, that person spins the bottle and it just keeps going like that!"
A flash of movement appeared in Tooru's vision, and she glanced up to see that Shoji had returned with two glasses of water. "Shoji, over here!" she called out, catching the stoic teen's attention. "Hey, come play Truth or Dare with us!"
Shoji seemed hesitant, but Tooru's enthusiasm caught onto the others, and they also called to Shoji, wishing for him to play with them. Finally, Shoji sighed in defeat and nodded, walking over as Kaminari made room for him on the couch. Shoji handed Tooru her water and set his down on the table. He glanced at the bottle and appeared to catch on quickly. "So who will be first?" he asked.
"I'll start!" Kirishima offered, spinning the bottle. It went around for a few seconds before it slowed down and settled on Tooru. Tooru perked up and smirked. "Hmm..." Kirishima thought for a moment and then snapped his fingers. "Truth or Dare?"
"I'll pick...truth!" Tooru decided, having a good feeling what the Harden-user would ask.
"What do you look like?"
"Like Yang Guifei and Francis Xavier mashed together," she answered immediately, having already prepared an answer. She waited for the laughter, but everyone just stared at her blankly. Tooru sagged a little."Really...none of you guys thought that was funny?"
"I don't even think either of us know who they are," Sero chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry."
"Well, poo..."
Shoji raised his hand. "I got it," he said.
Tooru leapt up and plopped down in front of the masked boy. "REALLY?!" she gasped. "You're the only person who ever understood that!"
Shoji nodded as his eyes glanced away. "Well...It pays to know history."
"Alright, you two, settle down!" Mina chuckled, a shit-eating grin on her face. "You both can save that for later, let's keep playing! It's your turn, Tooru."
Tooru spun the bottle, and it landed on Jiro, who chose dare.
"I dare you to..." Tooru groaned internally, she was never good at coming up with challenges for people to do. "I don't know...Flirt with one of the boys, like maybe Midoriya."
"Um, that's MY job, girls," Mina jokingly protested.
The game progressed on with plenty of jokes and embarrassing moments, and Tooru made sure to keep an eye on Shoji, who had miraculously avoided being picked the whole game. Underneath his mask, it was impossible to tell what his expression was, but his posture seemed much more relaxed than it did when they first started. Tooru hoped this meant that he was enjoying himself, she wanted him to be having fun. She knew he was well out of his element, but as long as he was enjoying himself, what could go wrong?
Occasionally the two would make eye contact, only for Shoji to glance away almost immediately. It was pretty confusing, but she opted to ignore it for now.
Finally, it was Mina's turn. After having been forced by Kaminari to admit that she HAD, in fact, used her quirk for...less conventional means, to put it lightly, the pink-skinned girl was eager for revenge. However, the bottle stopped just short of her intended target, landing instead on the last minute addition to their game. Everyone froze, glancing from the bottle to Shoji, back and forth, while the young man in question seemed apathetic about the whole ordeal.
"Well, this wasn't expected," Mina chuckled, "but not entirely unwelcome. Alright, Mr. 'I get Tooru's lame jokes', truth or dare?"
"Hmm..." Shoji closed his eyes in thought, before he shrugged and answered, "I suppose I'll go with truth."
"Think I'll let you off easy, huh?" Mina grinned and rubbed her hands together. "Oh, how I love youthful innocence! Alright, Shoji...Tell us, why do you wear that mask all the time?"
"...!" The shock was visible through Shoji's eyes, and for the first time since the game started, he seemed genuinely hesitant.
"Damn, that's a good one, Ashido!" Kaminari applauded.
"Spit it out, Shoji!" Sero encouraged, leaning against his seat with a wide grin. "It can't be that bad, right?"
Everyone looked at the newcomer expectantly, Tooru scooting closer to him. "It'll be fine," she told him, resting her hand on his knee.
Shoji locked eyes with the invisible girl for several moments before he sighed and looked away. "Because...I just think it looks cool."
"Bullshit!" Jiro exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "There's no way it's that simple!"
"She's right, man," Kirishima agreed, leaning back against the couch. "C'mon, what's the real reason?"
"...I'd rather not say," Shoji said.
"You have to!" Mina reminded him. "It's the rules!"
"Then I'll quit the game." Shoji countered, folding his arms. "I'm putting my foot down, Ashido."
Tooru felt something stir inside her gut. "Shoji...please don't quit the game," she softly urged him.
Once again, Shoji made the briefest of glances towards the invisible girl.
"Look, man, Ashido will ask you something else," Sero promised him, offering a friendly grin. "Honest!"
"...fine." Shoji grunted, shoulders loosening somewhat.
"Alrighty, hmmm..." Mina snapped her fingers. "How exactly do you get your hair in that perfect ninety-degree angle? Because that's some serious magic there, dude!"
The game continued on as normal for several more minutes, and thankfully Shoji seemed to have put the earlier tension behind him. He would never pick dare, but through the truths he had given Tooru felt like she was learning a lot more about her stoic classmate. It was strange, but she realized that no one actually seemed to know ANYTHING about Shoji. The man truly was an enigmatic figure, but Tooru was happy that he was finally opening up.
"My family lives a few miles outside the city," he explained, answering a question Kirishima had asked. "Our home is very traditional, and growing up I didn't have much when it came to toys and video games and such."
'That explains the fact why his room is so bare,' Tooru thought, remembering the room-decoration contest.
"Wait, so how early did you have to get up just to get to school?" Kaminari wondered.
Shoji shrugged. "About four in the morning, give or take."
"FOUR IN THE MORNING?!" everyone gasped.
"Dude...that's not even funny..." Mina gulped.
Shoji shrugged. "With the dorms, at least I can sleep in an extra half hour."
"Half hour?!" Tooru exclaimed. "You're saying that four-thirty is SLEEPING IN?!"
"Surprised?" Shoji quipped, his eyes containing some mirth. "Out in the countryside, getting up early is just routine. There's work to be done, and you'll need all the daylight to get it done."
"Well, that explains why you're so ripped, dude," Mina lightly flirted, eyeing his biceps with a teasing glint.
Shoji didn't seem to notice the pink girl's advances. "I suppose you're right," he agreed with a shrug.
It was true, Shoji was pretty muscular. Tooru's invisible eyes scanned over her classmate's body, her cheeks growing warmer and warmer. Without a doubt, Shoji was arguably the most muscular guy in the class and his habit of wearing tank tops sure helped show off his physique. He was actually pretty attractive if one learned to look past his six-webbed arms. She imagined what it was like, getting hugged by those arms. She imagined that it would be deceptively gentle, as if his one goal would be to keep her safe. At six two, he easily towered over Tooru, but that was fine...Tall guys were attractive, everyone knew that. Add in his hard-working and caring personality and his dedication to his friends and his dream of being a hero, and, well...He was surprisingly good boyfriend material. Any girl would be lucky to have a guy like Shoji, interestingly enough.
Tooru blinked.
Was she...was she crushing on Shoji?
"Yo, Hagakure!" Kirishima snapped his fingers, snapping Tooru out of her thoughts. Apparently, they had continued the game and she hadn't noticed.
"H-Huh?" Tooru blinked.
"Truth or Dare?"
"O-Oh, um..." Tooru shrugged. "Dare, I guess."
"Okay then..." Kirishima grinned. "Why don't you give ol' Shoji a peck on the cheek, since you've been staring at him this whole time!"
Had she?! Tooru was thankful that she was always invisible and that no one could tell just how red she felt at that very moment.
"Oh, good one, Kirishima!" Mina laughed, high fiving the red-haired boy.
Tooru shifted her eyes to Shoji, who sat frozen like a statue, his eyes uncharacteristically wide. Looking back, she noticed everyone was watching the two of them with shit-eating grins on their faces.
It was really embarrassing, but...
...a dare was a dare, right?
"F-Fine. O-Okay then." She winced as she stuttered, mentally cursing herself for sounding so nervous. Looking at Shoji, it didn't seem to be that encouraging for him either, the masked teen's shoulders noticeably hunched. Taking a deep breath, Tooru scooted over towards the boy and rose until her face was level with his. Shoji didn't make eye contact with her, as he was suddenly fascinated with his pants.
A mouthed tentacle rose and muttered, "You...You can kiss this if you want..." it offered lamely.
It almost made Tooru laugh, and she shook her head. "It's just a peck, okay?" she assured, but she wasn't sure who she was trying to calm down.
She leaned in, planning on giving a small kiss on the cheek, even if he insisted on still wearing the mask. She stopped about an inch away from the mask, she could feel the warmth of his cheeks from here, merging with her own! Was the stoic Mezo Shoji just as nervous as her? Shaking her head, Tooru quickly planted her lips on his cheek, and her eyes widened.
There was something...rough and jagged beneath the mask, and the invisible girl quickly yanked herself away as her friends cheered like drunkards. Shoji looked away, his hair briefly covering his eyes as if he had been caught doing something wrong. Like a puppy who ate food he wasn't supposed to. Tooru just stared at him blankly, her hand reaching up and touching her lips. What...what was that?
"Alrighty, Tooru, spin that bottle!" Mina cheered.
Tooru robotically did as she was told, her mind still caught on what she felt beneath the mask. She watched as the bottle spun around, and she felt something in her stomach drop when it landed on Shoji.
"Oh, that's perfect!" Kaminari howled. "You can't write that stuff!"
There was silence between the invisible girl and the masked boy for several moments until Tooru took a deep breath and quietly asked, "Truth or Dare, Shoji?"
"...well," Shoji said weakly, "since you picked dare last time, it's only fair that I do the same."
'Take off your mask,' was what immediately came to Tooru's mind, but she stopped herself from asking it. Somehow, she was sure everyone knew what she wanted to ask, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. Shoji made it clear he didn't want to do or say anything regarding his mask, but...
She felt like she HAD to know...she wanted to know what he lips had touched for the briefest of moments, her curiosity was killing her!
Mina seemed to catch on to this, and she threw an arm around the invisible girl's shoulders, grinning at Shoji. "You know, I bet Tooru here really wants to know what's underneath that mask!" she exclaimed, winking. "You should definitely take it off for her!"
For a moment, it looked like Shoji was considering it, but he was quick to shake his head. "We've been over this already," he growled, folding his arms over his chest. "I'm not taking this mask off."
"Why not?" Jiro asked.
"...I have my reasons." Shoji said.
"Dude, come on!" Sero begged, placing his hands together. "Just a little peak, okay?"
"I said NO!"
"Seriously, what's the harm in it?" Kirishima asked. "It's not like it's anything we haven't seen before. I mean, come on, dude! In a class with Koda, Tokoyami, Asui, and for Christ's sake, Mineta - do you really think we'd care what you look like?"
"You seem to be caring an awful lot right now!" Shoji barked.
"We're gonna keep begging until you doooo~" Mina sang-song.
"Can we just drop this?!"
As everyone argued against Shoji, no one noticed Tooru slowly approaching him, her arm outstretched. She knew it was wrong...she knew what she was doing wasn't right, but...
She wanted to know.
Shoji didn't notice until it was too late.
Her invisible fingers grabbed his mask and yanked it downward, exposing his face to the world. The normally stoic boy froze, his eyes wide with shock, betrayal, and...
Fear.
Everyone stared at him, their mouths wide open. No one dared to say a word, all fun and games were over the instant it happened.
Tooru's hands shot up to her mouth to keep herself from crying out. 'What...What have I done..?' she whimpered.
A large, elongated set of teeth covered his entire jaw. Oh, that wasn't the scary part. If that were it, no one would be shocked, they've seen odder appearances.
It was the scars that scared them.
Stretched all across where his lips would've been, some old and faded, while others still contained the sickening red they must've had since the beginning. It was like...
It was like his lips had been ripped off entirely.
Shoji's hands rose up to his face, his fingers gently running over his scars and mouth. His jaw opened, revealing how sharp his teeth were. His eyes drifted slowly from each member of the group until finally, they rested on Tooru.
"W-Why...?" he whispered, tears beginning to leak from his eyes. "W-Why would you...?"
"I-I..." Oh God, what had she done?! Tooru backed away, shaking her head. "I...I didn't mean to-"
"HOW COULD YOU?!" Shoji roared, rising to his full height. "ALL I ASKED WAS FOR YOU GUYS TO LEAVE IT ALONE! THAT'S ALL I ASKED!" He turned around and stormed off, leaving the group to their own thoughts.
"D-Dude..." Kirishima muttered. "What the hell...?"
"I-I had no idea..." Mina whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.
"None of us did..." Sero groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Shit, man, I feel like a total prick!"
"It's my fault..." Tooru choked, collapsing to her knees. "It's all my fault..."
"Tooru, don't say that!" Mina protested. "You didn't know! You can't take all the blame for this!"
"She's right, Hagakure," Kaminari said quietly. "We all egged him on, we should've known better."
"But I'm the one who got carried away!" Tooru barked. "I'm the one who tore the mask off!" She slammed her fist onto the floor. "I-I'm supposed to be his friend, dammit! Why was I so stupid?!" Taking a deep breath, she stood up and began stomping towards the elevator.
"Where are you going?" Sero asked.
"I'm going to apologize," Tooru called over her shoulder. "I-I have to make things right!"
"Maybe you should just leave him be for now..." Jiro suggested, but Tooru had already stepped inside the elevator.
Which led her to this moment right now.
Shoji's room was as bare as ever, she noticed as she walked inside, closing the door behind her. The light switch was off, the only source of light coming from between the curtains. She could see Shoji sitting on his...bed, his back turned to her. She had never seen him look so...small, and it made her tear up again.
"Shoji..." she muttered.
"Hm?" Shoji grunted, barely even acknowledging her.
"I-I..." She couldn't contain her emotions anymore, and with a wail, she threw herself onto the ground. "I'm SO SORRY, Shoji!" she sobbed. "I have no excuse for what I did! I should've noticed how uncomfortable it made you! I should've told everyone to drop it! I shouldn't have pulled off the damn mask! I'm supposed to be your friend but I just made everything worse!" She shook her head and kept her face onto the ground, not noticing that Shoji was slowly turning around.
"I don't deserve your forgiveness, I know! I'm an awful person and you have every single right to hate me, you SHOULD hate me! A-And if you don't want to be my friend anymore that's fine! B-B-But I...I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU, SHOJI!"
"Hagakure..."
She sniffed and glanced up. Shoji was facing her, his mask off and like her, he was freely crying. It broke her heart, seeing the stoic and fearless big brother of Class 1A be reduced to this.
"Y-Yeah...?" she whimpered.
"I...I wouldn't have cared too much...if it was anyone else..."
Tooru blinked. "What...What do you mean, Shoji?"
Shoji looked away, his cheeks tinted red. "I thought...I thought you were different from everyone else...I thought you would understand, but I guess that was wishful thinking."
"What...?"
"I wish I had your invisibility, Hagakure..." Shoji muttered. "I wish I didn't have to try to hide this damn face...I don't want to be seen, Hagakure. I want...I want to be invisible, just like you."
"Oh, Shoji..." Tooru dared inch closer to him.
"B-But I also thought...If anyone wouldn't care about this face...It would be you." Shoji said, closing his eyes. "I mean...you're the least likely to ever care about something like appearance, but..." He let out a shaky breath. "I could feel it...your discomfort. The horror you felt when you saw me-"
"That's not true!" Tooru cut him off, grabbing his shoulders and turning him around to face her. "T-That horror you felt...It wasn't directed at you, it was directed at me! I couldn't care less what you looked like!" She closed her eyes and lowered her head. "It was...Just seeing how hurt you looked, how betrayed you must've felt...How scared you were...That frightened me more than any face could, Sho- Mezo..."
"Hagakure..." Shoji breathed, before he let out a soft chuckle. "Even invisible, you still show off just how beautiful you are."
"H-Huh?" Tooru gulped, letting go of his shoulders. "W-Where did that come from?"
"Of course you wouldn't care about my face..." Shoji said. "Of course you would be more frightened of yourself than me...That's just who you are. Being invisible yet so expressive...how could you not possess that emotional intelligence? And that...that's one of the reasons why I like you so much."
"Whaaaaa?" Tooru squeaked, her cheeks hot beyond belief. "S-Since when?"
Shoji shrugged. "Who knows?" he wondered. "I just felt...drawn to you. A girl who wants to be seen so badly despite her obvious setback...A girl so bright and cheerful. A girl who was never offset by my appearance, never felt intimidated by me. A girl...who was everything I wish I was: Open, honest, alive!"
"W-Wow..." Tooru breathed. "Mezo...I-I had no idea..."
"Can't blame you," Shoji said, "I was planning on taking it with me to the grave."
This caused Tooru to giggle a little. "Silly..." she lightly teased, before she wrapped her arms around the boy and tugged him closer to her. "I'm glad you told me..."
She felt Shoji tense up, but he relaxed and slowly wrapped his six arms around her back and waist...it felt just as great as she imagined.
"Do you like me too, Hagakure?" he dared to ask.
After a few moments, Tooru shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "But...I'm not against the idea. You're a good person, Shoji."
"Heh..."
They stayed like that for several minutes, until Shoji finally spoke again. "When I was little, and my quirk was first developing, there was this boy... A bully, much bigger than me." He chuckled. "Hard to believe, right?"
Tooru had to agree as she giggled before letting him continue.
"He had a quirk that turned his fingernails into claws," Shoji explained. "He used to call me a bunch of names, saying that my quirk made me look like a freak. Nothing too bad, at least...until I found out my arms could replicate other body parts. When he saw me form my hand into a mouth, he and his little gang pinned me down..." He let out a shaky breath and Tooru drew him closer to her, rubbing his back softly. "He said... 'If you can make a mouth with your hand, then you won't be needing the real thing, right?'"
Tooru's eyes widened as she put two and two together. "Oh my God..." she gasped.
"That's how...this happened." Shoji finished, gesturing to his deformed mouth. "When I stumbled home, I took one look in the mirror and cried. I couldn't bear the sight of myself, and for the first time...I really believed his words. That night I made myself a mask, and when I applied for U.A. I decided I wasn't going to let anyone else see the freak I was, so I've been wearing the mask ever since."
"Mezo..." Tooru whispered. "That's awful...You're not a freak, okay? You never were, and you never will be."
"...thank you," he cried softly, letting out another shaking breath. "You don't know...how much I needed to hear those words, Haga- Tooru..."
"I'll tell you them as many times as you need them," Tooru promised, pulling away. "Mezo...you're always so worried about protecting others, you know that? The USJ attack, the final exam, the training camp, the hero licence exam..." She leaned in and placed a gentle kiss where his lips would've been. "Don't you think it's time you let someone protect you for once?"
His cheeks were bright red. "I think...I think I'd like that," he said.
They hugged once again, and they stayed like that for the rest of the day.
...
I like sappiness, don't judge me! Anyway, I looked at the concept art of Mezo's face and I thought to myself, "Okay but what if that's not his REAL face?" Odd thought, but that's what it all boiled down to. As for Tooru...I imagine she's very impulsive. But at the same time, being the most animated character despite being invisible, I feel like she's very emotionally intelligent. As for why I ship them? Idk man, I just do. A nice little twist of Beauty and the Beast is how I imagine it. A girl who wants to be seen and a man who doesn't want to be seen.
Don't forget to review! And remember, stay wykkyd!